With Haffner under renovation, Mawrtyrs to live in HCA

Haverford is making preparations to receive an influx of Mawrtyrs next year.

According to the Bi-Co News, after the discovery of “asbestos on structural beams,” Bryn Mawr will close the residential portion of Haffner, which also houses a dining hall, for renovations that will take nine months.

The abrupt discovery means Bryn Mawr is short 78 beds, and with just a few weeks to go before the room draw, administrators reached out to Haverford’s Vice President of Finance and Administration Dick Wynn for help.

Wynn says Mawrtyrs will most likely be housed in the Haverford College Apartments, where four buildings currently do not house students as a result of the additional capacity created by the Kim and Tritton dorms. Two of the apartment buildings are being rented out commercially, while the other two house graduate assistants and guests of the College.

According to BMC’s Director of Residential Life Angie Sheets, so far Bryn Mawr plans to lease four two-bedroom and two one-bedroom HCA apartments commercially.

But Wynn says there are still a lot of details that have yet to be worked out. Haverford won’t know exactly how many rooms will be open for Bryn Mawr students until after the Haverford room draw is completed. Bryn Mawr may also hire a live-in Residential Adviser as a nearby resource for their students living in HCA, he said.

The financial details, such as how much the move will cost both colleges and what rates Haverford will charge, are not finalized.

“We expect to be fully reimbursed by Bryn Mawr,” said Wynn.

Bryn Mawr is also looking into options at Swarthmore, the University of Pennsylvania and “even the common rooms at Bryn Mawr” to house students during the six-to-seven million-dollar renovation, according to the Bi-Co.